​This is truly a glorious day!! I love when I get to share something that I've been working on behind the scenes. It's hard for me to stay quiet, but I managed to keep this one under wraps for almost a year. Today I can finally share that I've started a workshop series that will potentially bring me to your corner of the world. That means we may actually get to make art together, bind books in person, share a cup of tea and talk fountain pens, but most of all, it means we may get to HUG!!!! WOOHOO!!

I realized that I have some amazing artsy pals all across this planet and I want to feel the energy of community in person from time to time. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my online family, but sometimes a girl just needs a hug in real life -- right? Right. And so Books & Brushes was born.

I don't think I have ever officially celebrated Earth Day, so this feels so wonderful to be able to talk about some of the things I do to be mindful of how my art making impacts Mother Earth. So, to celebrate Earth Day, a few of us from the Team StencilGirl® crew are getting creative with Resketch products and StencilGirl® stencils!

Resketch creates unique journals and sketchbooks made of high-quality reclaimed paper. Why use reclaimed paper? Well, the folks over atResketch say it like this: "We think it's tragic when paper that's otherwise perfectly fine to use is tossed in the garbage, or even the recycling bin. Let's take that paper and create something awesome with it."

I love this!! And I think many of you will too because, if you are like me, you probably have a stash of paper cuts, bits, and scraps that you've been planning to use in future art projects. What a great time to pull them out in celebration of Earth Day.

Keep reading to see my take on this conversation. You’ll be inspired by all the lovely artwork that came out of this blog hop. AND for every comment you leave on each blog, you’ll earn a chance to win in the GIVEAWAY! YAY! Please be sure to share some feedback with all the artists who worked hard to celebrate the Earth!

Okay, it's official!! I'm in love with the new-to-me Magical Shakers from Lindy's Gang. They have some amazing colors with a hint of shimmer in them. I am thrilled that I got to sample them for this blog hop with the Lindy's Gang and StencilGirl Creative Team.

This is one of our biggest blog hops yet with LOTS of inspiration from both teams.

Keep reading to see how I used them to as watercolors to make minimalistic art with one of my favorite stencils, and to read how they are going to change the way I make art from now on. Read to the end so you can be entered to win an amazing giveaway (details at the end of this post).

Every year around this time -- April -- thousands of people begin a project of their choosing to commit to for 100 consecutive days. Mostly, this challenge happens on Instagram where people are sharing their progress each day and showing support to others who are on the same journey. I've tried to participate in this project for three or maybe four years now and have never been able to complete it. I'm hoping this year will be different, but also allowing myself to fail miserably should that be the case. No self-pressure this time around. In fact, I've decided to keep this really super simple for myself.

Keep reading to see what all the hype is about, to find out what I'm doing for my 100 days, and to see a few people I'm following because I love the project they've selected for themselves.

Have you tried using your stencils in the kitchen? YES!!! You read that right -- stencils in the kitchen. This week, the entire creative team was challenged to take the stenciling into the kitchen and here's my take on the task. I've included a short tutorial and a few pro tips to help you get started using your stencils in an unexpected way.